Probation
by twilight guardian
Summary: Skye has been caught by the villagers of Forget-Me-Not Valley. He is given a 1 billion gold fine for his deeds and is sent to Claire's farm to pay it off. Can he smooth-talk her into helping him or will he discover the pleasures of honest work? ClairexSky
1. The Capture

_Well, my second Harvest Moon fanfic. I'm not sure exactly how long this one is going to be. I guess it will be a surprise for all of us when it finally completes._

Disclaimer: I am not japanese. I think that is self-explanatory.

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**Probation  
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**Chapter 1: The Capture

He hated her. There was nothing else that he could really say about her. Sure, when he first met her he thought she was cute; even thought she was a challenge when she didn't quite fall for his charms. But now he knew – she was an ugly, scheming witch. It had been her plan that caused the villagers to catch him. Yes, the farm girl… Claire. He had sent a note to Daryl, a note that read that he was going to steal the most precious thing to him. In a panic, Daryl called Claire over, and she set up the plan. She never seemed to truly want to catch him before. Was she still angry that he stole a few of her strawberries last week? He didn't steal a lot… in fact the note he had given her told her he wanted to sample her now famous crops. But she had been upset. He soon realized this…

Skye had picked the lock to Daryl's trap door while the man was out for his daily stroll and walked confidently down the stairs. But he stopped dead when he saw Claire. She seemed to be standing in front of a tank of some sort, as if protecting something. This confused him, as Daryl's research was on a table across from her. He regained his composure and walked over to the papers that Daryl kept inside his many books. She didn't move, and he could feel a smirk playing on his face.

"My darling Claire, I thought you were going to try and stop me again."

"I am…" She seemed to get more nervous as he approached, leaving the papers of research behind. Was she hiding Daryl's real research? Was she worried he'd use his Maiden Beam to immobilize her again, or worried because he was closing the gap between them? That's when he saw her – a beautiful green haired mermaid! So that's what Daryl's most precious item was. To say the least Skye was shocked… To think such as man as Daryl kept such a beautiful creature. Most likely he made her in one of his experiments. How horrible…

"So sorry I have to do this to you, my love, but duty calls. Maiden Beam!" He shot his spell towards Claire and the mermaid. Claire's arms flew up in defence to shield herself, and to his surprise she lowered her arms after the spell finished. The spell didn't work! Why?! The mermaid was affected, so why not her?!

"H-How?!" He stuttered. She smirked.

"You're not the only one with access to magic." She said confidently. "And you're exactly where I want you." He heard the trap door slam closed and a familiar clicking sound indicating that it was locked. Daryl, Marlin and Griffon came down the stairs. There was no way for Skye to escape this time. They took him by the arms, forcing them uncomfortably behind his back.

It seemed the whole valley pitched in to buy the handcuffs, or that's what Claire told him. Lumina and Romana had even bought a tracking device that they would strap to his leg. The perimeters they would set up would be the only place he could freely walk in. He knew that if he stepped out of line someone would be there to stop him. But why? Why not just send him to jail? He guessed it was partly because the only actual jailhouse was in the city. He would have many chances to escape trying to get him there. But what did they have planned? That is what Skye had been mulling over for the past hour as he sat on the floor of the Inner Inn, watching as all of Forget-Me-Not Valley conversed with each other. He had to admit he felt embarrassed, humiliated and exposed – naked even! Maybe that was a stretch. But he mostly felt betrayed. Of any girl that he met, she had been the only one who hung out with him. She knew his route round the valley. It was his fault, really. He should have known better than to get close to anyone.

He tensed when the group broke up, and an angry Claire came over. "Come on, you're coming with me."

"To do what?" Skye demanded angrily.

"Probation. You'll repay everyone in the valley for things you stole or pay compensation for the grief you gave us all plus the fine of one million gold that Mayor Thomas suggested." Skye's jaw dropped.

"Wh-what?! How much would I have to repay in all?!"

"Well, lets see… a thousand to each villager, three thousand to everyone you've stolen from plus another two thousand to Vesta and I each time you used your Chick Beam on us." The smirk that came on her lips seemed evil to Skye. "One million, seventy thousand gold. But we decided to go easy on you." Skye felt light headed.

"One million seventy…. Thousand…" He repeated weakly. "How am I gunna pay it?"

"Good old fashioned work."

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_Well, there you have it. One of the shortest chapters that I've ever done, yet it is perfect for this particular fic. Not my usual style of writing. Anyways, please tell me what you think! The more reviews the better! Also, I know the numbers from the fic and the summary don't add up._


	2. Weeds

Alright, this is the second chapter to Probation! Yay! Sorry about the delay. I had comptuer problems and yadda yadda. It was very annoying. Just for taking so long, I had made this chapter much longer than the last one. My other chapters will most likely be about as long as this - or longer. I know that they'll be over 1000 words.

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**Harvest Moon: Probation  
Chapter 2: Weeds**

"Wake up, you lazy bum!" Soft hands shook the ex-thief awake, allowing for a pleasant rocking motion in the hammock that he now slept in. He grumbled something intelligible to her before opening his brilliant light-green eyes.

"What time is it?" He murmured groggily as he looked over to the clock that was on Claire's nightstand. It was six in the morning. He groaned and rolled over to fall back to sleep. He usually went to _bed_ at this time! How can she just expect him to wake up at this hour when he was still getting used to the sleeping pattern that was forced upon him? One cannot just so easily switch from a nocturnal to a diurnal pattern!

Claire placed her hands on her hips when she saw him roll over in defiance. He would not defy her! Not when she was the one who had to help him deal with the things that he needed to do! Now when she put her neck out for him, her reputation was on the line for his rehabilitation and settling his debt and certainly not when there were things to do around the farm! She growled as she grabbed the rope hammock and flipped it over. With a yelp, Skye fell to the floor of the small house. He growled as he sat up, tears in his eyes and rubbing his head.

"What was that for?!" He demanded.

"Get up! Your probation starts today." She ordered. Claire was already dressed in her usual attire of an orange and white checker shirt and blue overalls. She held out a portable device to show to him. "This is what you need to stay near if you don't want to get in trouble." Her finger turned from pointing from the device to his ankle prison.

"Fine, fine..." He murmured under his breath before standing up. "What do you want me to do? Milk your cows? Tend to your crops or something?"

"Weed." He stared at her as though an extra eyeball had suddenly appeared in the middle of her forehead. "You are going to pick up all of the weeds around my property and around the other fertile sites around town. You can send them in the shipping box and Mayor Thomas will pay you for it."

"And how much do weeds cost?" He asked, thinking about how many weeds that there would be for him to easily pay off his debt.

"One gold."

"WHAT?!"

"One gold for each weed. We start off small and you'll work your way up by earning it."

"You've gotta be kidding me! That'll take forever!" Skye couldn't believe it. The witch was doing this on purpose. But for what reason? To be mean? As extra punishment for stealing some of her strawberries? He smirked and stood up, regaining his composure. He flipped his silver bangs from his face and flashed her a charming and seductive smile. "I understand. You just want to keep me around longer. You want me to be yours."

"Wh-wh-..." Claire stammered, her face turning crimson. "What?!" His smirk increased when he saw her flustered reaction.

"Just admit it, Claire. You can't get enough of me." Claire regained her composure and smirked.

"Just for that, you're to forfeit half of the weeds that you get to me for today for sexual harassment."

"Wh-wha-?!" It was Skye's turn to stutter, however different the circumstance. "You can't do that!"

"Watch me." Claire said in a low, dark voice and she whipped around, her hair flying behind her as she stormed off. Skye grumbled as he followed after her. The bright light of the sun blinded him so that he had to place his hands above his eyes to shield him from the sun's evil glare, though even that didn't stop him from squinting with watering eyes. By the time he left the house and adjusted to the bright sun, Claire was already in the back, tending to her crops. She was hard at work watering, pulling the ripe fruits and reseeding empty lots. Around her precious garden were the little green plants that Skye had to pluck out.

He slowly walked over Claire's fertile land, wanting to procrastinate on heavy physical work as much as possible - or, at least what he perceived as heavy labour. Bending over, he wrapped his fingers around the leaves of the weed and began to pull. He felt a sharp pain and some air escaped from his lungs in a groan.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that you're supposed to bend from the knees." Claire said with a small smirk as she pulled out the last of her strawberries. Skye glared at her.

"Couldn't you have told me that _before _I hurt myself?" Claire stuck her tongue out mockingly.

"S_o_rry," She said in a sing-song voice. "I thought you'd be smart enough to figure it out yourself. Or stupid enough to hurt yourself until you learned. One way or another."

"Bitch…" He muttered.

"Oh my," Claire sang as she seeded the bare cultivated patches. "More money for me today!" Skye glared at her but didn't say anything. He wasn't as stupid as she took him for. He had eluded everyone in Forget-Me-Not Valley up until that point yesterday. It seemed as though she would take advantage of everything that he said that was negative towards her and deduct his pay. He couldn't have that… he needed to get this stupid probation over with as soon as possible.

By the time he finished weeding Claire's land, she had already finished with her other duties around her property - including tending to her animals, looking after the mushrooms and turning some of her products into seeds and other useful things with the Makers that she had recently purchased. It was then that she made him follow her to the pond area that he had always visited. He gathered the weeds while she the other more well-paying plants and items and then to the area near the Camp Site. She had even vanished for a little while, most likely to go into the cave that he noticed was behind the waterfall. For what reason, he didn't know. He thought it best to just concentrate on his job, no matter how horrible and boring it was.

The process was repeated throughout the entire town until they finally wound up back at her farm.

Skye collapsed on the ground beside the shipping bin, breathing heavily. Claire merely frowned, picking up the weeds that he had collected, counting them out before placing them in the shipping bin with everything else.

Skye placed a hand over his chest to check his heart rate. It was beating faster than normal. It wasn't as though he was unhealthy or unfit - he thought he was average if not above. He always took long walks and even had to run away from people often in order to evade them. But this… this was much different. This required different muscles that he didn't even know that he had. Already, he could feel his body becoming sore.

"Jeeze, you're so weak." Claire said, shaking her head. She swiftly walked into her house, coming back a few minutes later with some sort of cream. "Here, rub this over your body. It will at least help with sore muscles." Skye eventually took the cream. He would apply it a little later on when he fully realized his sore spots.

No sooner than he had accepted the item, Thomas had come to collect the items and products that Claire and Skye had worked to obtain. "Ah, well done, Claire. Spectacular as always. Here's your money for the day." He handed her a large sack of money, which Claire quickly opened. Thomas wasted no time in taking the products and leaving. She eventually pulled out fifty-four gold coins.

"Here. That's your pay for today. I deducted a bit for earlier." Skye glared down at the money. He hadn't even made a dent in his probation. This was going to be long… Especially if he kept having to pull weeds.

"Great… it's a start, I guess…"

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So, that's my second chapter. Reviews please! I can tell that a lot of people were interested because of all of the faves and story alerts. I hope I didn't disappoint with this one. Thanks for reading! I really appreciate it!


	3. Seduction

**I'm sorry that it took me so long to update! I had a deadly combination of college work, writer's block and lazyness. I hopefully won't leave updates this long ever again! D:**

**Also, thank you to all who have read my fanfic, and double thanks to those who've reviewed! I'm so glad that you're enjoying it! **

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Probation 3

"Good work out there." Claire said, smiling at the handsome, though petulant and haggard man before her. He merely grumbled his displeasure over the situation that he had found himself in. After all, this was all this witch's fault. He was tired, sore, and in an all around bad mood. The only thing that he was looking forward to for the next couple of days was the time when he could be alone to address his sore muscles. Wait… alone? What was he, some sort of school girl? He should flaunt his body in front of that woman and make her fall for his looks! Then he would be able to convince her to let him go! Girls couldn't resist a shirtless man – and his salve would prove to be the perfect excuse to undress in front of her.

He kept the ointment that Claire had given him in his pocket, thinking about when would be the perfect time for him to carry out his plan. It was then that something flat and square was thrust into his face. He jumped in spite of himself, his body acting on its own in a natural reflex. When he calmed down he glanced at the item that had been thrust in his face.

It was a book; though not just any book. To be exact, it was a diary. An eyebrow raised as the ex-thief looked at the blonde farmer strangely. "What's this for?"

"It's to keep a record of your money, of course!" She said, waving the book a little, wanting him to grab it. When it didn't look as though he was going to take it, she thrust it against his chest, earning a slight moan as air escaped from the man's lungs. "Use it." She said as she walked away. Skye looked down at the diary thoughtfully. Maybe she wasn't such a witch, if she was kind enough to give him something to keep track of his earnings. Stopping momentarily, she turned around. "Oh yeah… it's not free. I'm adding three hundred to your total."

Skye bristled in anger as he watched her leave. He took it back! She was a horrible, ugly, scheming witch! He wanted nothing more than to just stay in the little one-room shack that she called a home and treat his sore muscles… but she was leaving to Goddess knows were, and he knew that he had no choice but to follow.

He was surprised to find that she was heading to the Blue Bar. He didn't really take her for a party girl. But then again, he really didn't know all that much about her. But the thought of her as a partier was rather amusing. She probably got along quite well with that loser, Rock. What an unusual name to name your child. Ruby and Tom were probably hippies or something back in the day. But to think that she might even be with a guy like Rock – who was lazy and never did any work, it was just laughable.

He amused himself with these negative thoughts of Claire as he absent-mindedly followed her to the infamous bar. The small cluster of people that were already drinking and relaxing turned. They seemed surprised that they had come in.

"Claire! What a surprise!" Muffy stated, happily. "We don't normally see you here!" Skye's image of an immature party girl vanished. If she didn't come here often, that meant that she normally didn't drink. He sighed as he followed the demonic blonde farmer to the counter. Claire gave Muffy a smile.

"Yeah… well, I guess things are getting a little more stressful. Besides, it's nice to go out once in a while for a drink."

"And you brought _that_ along?" She asked Claire, pointing to Skye, who glared at the curly haired woman. Muffy - the local beauty and resident ditz. She was a woman who looked very easy, and was unlucky in love and the business of romance because of this fact. Normally Skye took pity on such poor souls as she, but he knew better. Muffy, along with the rest of the wretched people in this town were evil. He couldn't show any emotions towards her or anyone else in Forget-Me-Not Valley.

"Well being on his probation, he can't really go too far from me, now can he?" Muffy giggled.

"I guess not. Well, you enjoy your drinks here, Claire. I always enjoy your company." Claire gave the other blonde a soft smile – one that Skye had never seen on the farmer. It almost made her look cute. He put an imaginary big red line under the word 'almost' in his head, to remind himself. If he went back to flirting with Claire like he had in the beginning, she would just take advantage of that and set the price higher and higher.

Grumbling under his breath, Skye barely remembered ordering the drinks that appeared in front of him. In fact, he didn't. He looked up to see Griffon smiling back at him. "Go ahead. Drink up. I'll put it on your tab." So, even his drinks from the bar would add to his probation fee. It figures - they wanted to make his life as miserable as possible. But right now a drink sounded pretty good. At least something from this town could take his mind off of the situation, even if it was for only a little while.

He took the drink without thanking the barman and took a deep swig. As he worked on his drink, he began to think about ways that he could get Claire to let him go. Maybe if he got her to fall for his charms. It would be hard, but there wasn't a woman around that he knew of that wouldn't eventually fall for his charms. Or maybe if he found the key that could unlock the devise on his leg or even find a way to slip out of it. His mind soon wandered to other things as he continued working on his drink.

Eventually he and Claire left the bar to go home. Skye was looking forward to this. Despite the drinks that he had, he still remembered his initial plan. He only hoped that he would be able to pull it off with his mind as cloudy as it was. He felt strangely giddy; though maybe it was because of the amount of sugar that was in one of the drinks, and the alcohol combined. The farm was quiet as Claire unlocked her door and stepped inside, Skye following close behind.

He sighed loudly, stretching before starting to unbutton his shirt. Claire turned to tell him something but stopped when she saw what he was doing.

"WH-what, don't take your clothes off here!" Claire said; a little panicked. Skye smirked as he slipped his shoulders out of his shirt seductively, taking a few steps towards her. She mimicked his movements by taking a step away, and kept on moving across her small home. A gasp escaped her lips as her back bumped up against the wall, her body stiffening a little from the shock. Skye smirked, placing his hand on the wall directly beside her face, allowing him to keep his balance as he leaned in, as well as prevent her escape. He was glad that both of them were slightly intoxicated or else this wouldn't work – Claire not being in a witty state of mind, and Skye being buzzed just enough to have enough sense – or lack of it to perform this stunt.

"What, I'm not allowed to undress in my own house?" He asked, as he leaned in further, their faces getting closer and closer. Skye could see the red on her cheeks, a colouring that he knew for a fact wasn't from having a few too many. This wasn't technically his house, either. That much he knew, but he was living here with her. That made it as much his house as hers.

"N-No! I mean yes! No! Not around me!" Claire stuttered, turning a fiercer shade of red. Skye's smirk widened. Despite how she looked, Claire was rather chaste. The term 'blondes have more fun' apparently didn't apply to her. It kind of made him curious as to whether or not she was a virgin. Not that he would even be caught in the same bed as this woman.

"What's wrong, Claire?" Skye asked in a mocking voice. "You _have_ seen a shirtless guy before, right?" She turned her gaze from him and blushed. He knew it. He wasn't surprised; she didn't seem like the type to really hang around guys. She didn't even seem to be all that familiar with any of the local boys – or even the young men that visited on occasion, either – at least not to his knowledge. He placed his free hand near her face, earning a flinch from the smaller figure. He held in a throated laugh as he watched her squirm under his touch. His fingers ran through her blonde hair and traced her delicate jaw line. His face inched closer and closer to hers, stopping when his face was inches from his. He could feel her ragged breaths, which had quickened to match her heartbeat.

This time, his laugh did escape and ran to his throat, earning a 'humph' of amusement. "I'll see you tomorrow, Claire." He murmured before retreating both of his hand and his body from her, leaving a dazed and confused farmer behind. He fought back a shiver as he recalled saying her name. He knew that he was most likely going to regret what he had done in the morning. Thank the Goddess for alcohol. He returned to his hammock and started to rub the salve over his sore muscles before proceeding to bed. He looked at his bag for a moment before pulling out the diary that Claire had given him. It came with a pen, which he noted after a few seconds. He opened the book to the first page and began to note his progress.

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** Well, there you have it! The third chapter to Probation. I'll start on the fourth chapter when I get home fom college tomorrow. **


	4. Problems with Hot Springs

So so soooo sorry to everyone who was waiting for chapter 4 to come out. I had a really nasty bout of writer's block for a while, then simply forgot. I got all of your lovely reviews, and the guilt began to mount. So to show my appreciation for everyone who has enjoyed this story, I'm going to try and get two more chapters out by the end of the week! That's a promise. Enjoy.

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Probation  
Chapter 4

Now this was the life. Piles of money so he could start his own specialty restaurant, a cozy expensive looking home, and a few women clinging lovingly to him as they wined and had a few laughs. Yeah, it was a dream and he knew it. But he didn't care. He would just watch it pass by as the images flashed across his semi-conscious brain that came with REM sleep. He was content in his hammock under the warm blankets.

However, one of the girls that he was intimate with on his couch by the fire troubled his mind a bit. She sat on his lap facing him, her long, tanned arms snaking around his neck, fingers entwined with his silver hair. He didn't want to take notice at first, happy with feeling the curves of the woman's body under her clothes as they kissed. He wanted more. Her shirt scrunched into his palm as his fingers worked at getting to the end, finally feeling her warm, smooth skin underneath. His hands vanished under her shirt, following the curve of her spine which she squirmed to, moving under his touch.

His hands worked their way up to her mid back, caressing over her bra and following the fabric to the front and grasped the soft breasts. His finger curled around the cup of her bra, tugging down to feel for himself the skin without anything in the way.

She moved back a little, giving his arms more room to do what he wanted. His eyes widened when he finally saw the face of the woman he was being intimate with. It was Claire.

He woke, his whole body tensing but he didn't open his eyes. The dream faded into the recesses of his mind and he was thankful for that. With the dream out of the way he could get back to his much needed sleep. Sweet, sweet sleep. Or he could just lay there until the discomfort between his legs settled and he could slowly start his day out in a good mood, even despite the dream.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Skye let out a groan as he curled under his blankets, trying to drown out the unholy sounds that was the alarm clock. It wasn't stopping. Finally he flung the blankets off of him and struggled to get out of his bed without falling out of it. Succeeding, he walked over to the loud machine and with more force than necessary slammed his closed fist down on the button.

He turned around to get back to his bed when he saw Claire sitting at her table, empty dishes pushed to the side and finishing up what must have been tea. Great. Just who he wanted to see, and his problem hadn't gone away.

"Any longer and I would have had to dump cold water on you." She said simply, sipping at her tea.

"Something tells me you wish I'd stayed in bed." Skye grumbled. He saw Claire's gaze on him, then trail downward and then quickly dart away, pink flushing on her cheek. Normally seeing her that flustered would put a smile on Skye's face, but he wasn't really in the mood today.

He awkwardly walked over to the table, where it looked like she made him breakfast. Before he could even get over halfway to the table Claire bolted up out of her chair and grabbed her rucksack. "I expect you dressed and working in half an hour! We're already wasting the day away."

Skye stared at the door for a few moments, wondering what all that was about. Ah, she must not have wanted him to get too close. Not after the stunt he pulled last night, anyway. A triumphant grin played on his face as he sat down to eat, his legs spread wide apart, ankles curling around the front chair legs. She gave him half an hour. He looked down with a sigh, the fork between his fingers clanking gently as it drooped onto the plate. He could finish eating and get dressed in less than five minutes. A shower would take ten to fifteen. He could certainly fix _that _in ten…

He ran out of the shack twenty-nine minutes and thirty-six seconds later. Claire was still watering her crops, and had been checking her watch when he came out. She turned to look at the thief when he finally appeared.

"It's about time. I was starting to think I'd have to dump this can over your head.'

"You would like that." He grumbled under his breath. Before he could get himself into more trouble he bent down to start his labour. The entire time Claire kept more of a distance from Skye than she had the day before. That was fine with him. He didn't want her bothering him when he was doing something he already hated.

They ended their chores before 5 P.M. the same as yesterday. And just like yesterday, Skye's muscles were flaring their complaints again. Claire was counting out the gold to separate from Skye's. This was the best part of the day in his opinion. Too bad it only lasted maybe two minutes.

"Is this all you do all day? Every day?" Skye asked, watching as each coin was taken out from her fist and counted toward his tiny total. She nodded. "Seems kind of boring to me."

"It gets easier the more you do it." Claire said sigh a sigh, dropping the last coin and giving the gold to Skye. There was about 20 extra gold, giving him a daily total of about 132. "You didn't bitch… so I thought you'd get a small reward." Skye looked up at her, bit her face was turned away, doing her best to avoid eye contact. There was a small blush on her cheeks. With a half smirk, he wondered if that was really the case.

"You know… if you really expect me to pay off this debt of mine you're going to have to give me more to do than just pulling weeds. At this rate I can't even afford to pay by diner and bar tabs let alone the debt." He leaned against the shipping box, ignoring the ache and folded his arms across his chest. "Unless you really do want to keep me around."

"Fine. Buy yourself a hammer and axe tomorrow and you can start chopping me some material stone and wood . One gold out of my pocket for each." He frowned. He was hoping for something that would pay much better than that. But that, along with the weeds would mean his money would be tripled. Plus it was coming out of Claire's own pocket, and instead going to him. How could he say no to that?

"Sounds great." Claire pocketed her cash and started for her the entrance to her property. "Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm going to do some fishing." Claire said. "Then we'll bathe in the hot springs."

"The hot springs." Skye repeated, following after her. "Together? Why are we going there?" She glanced back at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Are you not using your brain or something? You still get sore from the simple task of pulling weeds. What makes you think doing that plus chopping and smashing branches and rocks will make you feel any better? Unless you _want your back out of commission for a few days."_

"_No…"_

"_That's what I thought." That was strange. It actually seemed like she cared about his health. _

_He sat at the river's edge and enjoyed the break as Claire cast out her line in hopes of catching fish. The river was always plentiful for fish and it seemed like she was rather good at it. He wasn't all that interested in the fishing and opted to take a little nap while he waited for the day to end. He needed it._

_He was woken up by soft shaking just as the sun was setting. Claire was shaking him awake by moving his shoulder with her boot. Skye glared at her as he sat up, dusting the footprint off of his shirt as best he could. Before he could get it perfectly clean again, she was off, this time heading south-east, in the direction of the hot springs._

_The little building set up for people who wanted to use the hot springs was smaller than he thought it was. It was sort of hard to believe that it had two separate rooms for males and females inside. Claire was already inside. He shrugged and walked in. What the hell. She was giving him this opportunity to heal himself for tomorrow's work he might as well take full advantage of that._

_He stepped inside the little room, quickly stripping naked and placing his clothes on the bench in a neat, folded pile. He took one of the towels that were hanging up and wrapped it around his waist. Stepping into the cooling evening air, he was hit with the smell of the springs, and the gentle caress of the heat radiating off of it. Stepping into the steaming water, he slowly walked to the opposite end of the spring to sit on the bench facing the building._

_Skye was alone. Claire hadn't come out yet. He rolled his eyes. What was taking that woman so long to come out? Probably doing lady things that took a long time, no doubt. Finally the door opened and the petite blonde finally stepped out. She had surprisingly smooth legs for someone who worked on a farm all day, and they were slightly toned, too. They had an ivory colour, unlike her arms or face, which were tanned from the sun. Briefly, Skye wondered how much of her body was light compared to dark._

_What was he thinking. This was Claire, the bitch who was holding him captive and forcing him to do her work for her until Harvest Goddess knew when! But, he was still a man and even if she was a witch, she was still a woman._

"_You just going to stand there or are you going to come in, eventually?" Skye teased in a deep voice, more seductive and lustful than he wanted to let on, but if she didn't notice it, he wouldn't need to defend himself. She glared at him._

"_Shut up I'm taking my time." She stared intently at the warm waters, determined not to look at Skye as she dipped her body in the spring. Skye rolled his eyes._

"_If you didn't want to bathe with me we could have just taken turns."_

"_That would take too long. I want to actually socialize tonight, I'll have you know." Claire snapped._

"_Gee, didn't know you actually had friends." Skye retorted. "I mean, from the look of you , you don't seem to even hang out with the men of this village."_

"_And how do you know that?" Claire said, venom dripping from her voice. "It's not like you know everything I do, you only ever came out during the night."_

"_True. But I can tell these things."_

"_Bull." Skye shrugged. "Stop saying those things or I'll start subtracting your pay tomorrow."_

"_Ah, but if it had been yesterday you would have already done so." Skye pointed out. "So what changed in you today, hmm? Could it be you've fallen for me?" He gave her a confident smile, his eyebrows raised and his eyelids lowered, giving him a look that almost expected her to agree. She scrunched her nose._

"_You wish. I'm outta here. This was a mistake." She had almost sat down by then, standing right back up and twirling around and stepping up to get out of the hot spring. The towel was so short. Skye caught himself lowering his head a little and to the side as he watched her. His eyes widened when she slipped, falling back into the water. _

_He barely had time to react. He felt himself spring up, and then the heavy impact of the farmer girl against his chest was enough to knock the wind out of him. "Claire," he said breathlessly. "are you alright?" He held the trembling girl in his arms. The towel had come undone and only his arms really kept it from falling off entirely. She wasn't as curvy in real life as she had been in his dream. But she certainly didn't have a child's body. Her bare chest felt nice against his. There was a small part of him that was ashamed to think any part of Claire was attractive or felt nice, but lust was mostly overpowering that already tiny voice._

"_Y-yeah. That just scared me." She took her hands off of his shoulders. Skye looked up, tilting his head as far away from her as possible. "What are you doing?"_

"_A gentleman shouldn't watch as a lady puts back on her towel." Skye said simply, with a shrug. He let her go when she started to wriggle, only looking down again when he heard the small splashes of her finally sitting down._

"_Th-thanks…" Claire murmured. Her face was a deep shade of crimson. Skye smiled._

"_You're welcome."_


	5. Tempting Proposal

Probation  
Chapter 4

Things were going easier for Skye. A week had passed and already he was starting to get used to his new diurnal lifestyle and the pain from using muscles he normally never used was also dissipating. Even Claire had gotten off his case about pretty much damn near everything. He wasn't quite used to the early mornings or the back breaking work, but it was getting more manageable than when he started. If he worked for another week then perhaps his muscles would get used to the constant bending and pulling, standing and kneeling; repetitive motions indicative of the type of work he was forced to do. At the very least he was happy that after the hot springs incident she told him that he was allowed to collect both branches and stones from the fields. She would still collect the more expensive items but at least it would make up for any loss from the lack of weed growth.

The weeds, at least to him didn't seem to be popping up as much as they had been the first day. Checking his financial diary, he once again added up how much he earned. He had no choice but to subtract the three hundred gold that bought the diary. He didn't want to admit it, but it was a little worth it. Needless to say he was a happy ex-theif waking up that morning.

Of course, there was no doubt in his mind that his status as a former thief was temporary. Once he paid his services and got this over with, he would easily and gladly go back to the life that he once lived. He would be a little wiser the next time, checking his surroundings for traps and made a note to never enter a place that clearly had no means of escape but for a tiny hatch that opened up from someone's floor. While at some point Skye might have thought it a challenge of the best sort, he quickly changed his tune when realizing he was after ward outnumbered three to one with men who were much larger than himself.

Skye had a much more delicate body shape than most men. It was never an issue for his pride as a man, despite looking like he could easily fit into the role of a female. He was built for speed and wit and he liked it that way. Outsmarting any sucker was much more useful than forcing them into submission with brute force. Disarming a lady with a seductive glance was far more efficient and gentle than intimidating them with size and muscle.

Even he knew the witch farmer was attracted to him on some level. She would never let herself admit it. However, it was clear from her mannerisms the previous week, and even the more mild-mannered nature she adopted after the hot springs that she was currently debating something to herself regarding him.

He was glad his chores had graduated from weeds to rocks and branches being added on. It meant more work for himself, but more work meant more money, which would bring him up to his ultimate goal that much faster. She made sure he kept well watered and protected from the sun's harsh rays as he worked. At least she knew how to take care of a charge, which was lucky for him. Still, he couldn't understand how such a woman with an unladylike attitude could become so well liked in this valley.

It was no surprise to anyone that Claire had a temper. She clearly showed this fact multiple times in public, not shying away from prying eyes when thinking she needed to show him a thing or two. He couldn't say she was necessarily abusive, though he always claimed her to be. He was no ignorant fool, and knew that at times he had done more than stand by innocently, even coaxing such a reaction out of her.

As his anger over the situation dissipated with acceptance, he found his life on the farm to be a much more pleasant experience. Sure, it wasn't really fun, and was still downright unpleasant as a whole, but he wasn't pulling his hair out. As he calmed down, so had Claire, her barbs popping up whenever he made a fuss. He understood that now, if perhaps only a little bit.

No, he understood perfectly. If he wanted a much better life for himself he should seduce Claire into a state more suited to his needs. It would be hard; he still disliked the woman. But if he could gain her trust and even mend the bad blood between the two of them and even have her think they were friends, she might do him favours, give him more freedoms and privileges. It wasn't like he forgot hot to act charming, he just hadn't seen the need to be gentlemanly around a woman he deemed far less than worthy.

Claire had gone to the bar once again. Her drinks were usually few, preferring to chat with all who entered the building than come for what it was intended for. Still, Skye noticed a definite shift in her energy after a drink or two, Claire being sluggish by the end of the working day.

"Good work today." Skye said, placing his beer down on the table as he sat down beside Claire. She scooted her chair away from him slightly, giving him a wary look. He gave her his best disarming smile and raised the glass to his lips.

"You're acting mighty chipper." Claire said, tracing her finger along the edge of her glass. "It's only been a week and you're already done pouting?"

"Gentlemen bounce back quickly, my dear. Besides, I have a new outlook on this job you've tasked me with. What better way to know about your food as a chef than having worked on your own property? If I am to open my own restaurant some day I should have a proper appreciation for the work that goes into the food before it comes to my hands."

Claire's hand gently returned to the table. Skye smirked through his glass at the priceless look on her face. Her mouth hung ajar slightly, her eyes wide. Regaining her composure, she shook her head.

"You really thought all that on your own?" Skye placed his hand on his chest in mock hurt.

"Why Claire, I'm offended. Surely you must know that I do have a brain along with this gorgeous face. How do you think I was able to keep from getting caught all this time?"

"That chick beam of yours." Claire said flatly. He could tell she didn't trust him yet. He wouldn't either if he was in her shoes. They hated one another, yet his attitude changed so suddenly. He could tell that was exactly what she was thinking at this moment. He shrugged.

"Believe what you will, Claire." He said, exhaling the words as he stood up. "But I'm not going to let this setback stop me."

"I've been thinking," Claire said, her voice raised to catch his attention. "about giving you more work. But you might not like it."

Skye folded his arms across his chest. "Oh really. I think any work that gets me closer to paying off that debt will make me happy."

"Well, that's the thing." Claire said. She leaned back in her chair. "You'll earn more money, but it will put you in even deeper debt with the village."

Skye nearly dropped his beer. "E-explain!" He said after a moment of word fumbling.

"Well... you'll essentially have your own farm." She said, keeping her eyes down on her drink. She swirled the glass before taking a sip. "Gotz will clear some land behind my property and the village will pay him for his services. But you'll earn all that money back on the farm."

"So I'm paying for an entire property!" Skye growled, his grip on his glass tightening dangerously.

"Essentially, yes. You can't do much on my property and the more leeway I give to you, the less money I make. After a while you'd be at a standstill. So I figured if you had your own place it would give you more room to make an impact on that debt. But you'd have to pay for everything yourself. Along with the property, you'd pay for the barns, coups, mill, makers... everything. The more you invest into the farm, the more money you can make."

"So I'll become a farmer. What do I do with that property after I pay back everything?"

"Well, I thought I'd buy it all from you. I'll have a bigger ranch and you can have all the money to do what ever you wanted."

Skye staggered back, finding a chair and falling into it to prevent his shaking legs from collapsing under him. Properties were expensive. Barns and livestock, buildings and materials. The sort of things he would have to purchase seemed innumerable. It felt like much more commitment than he desired. But really, Claire was using him to build up a larger property. Being paid for a fully set up ranch was appealing, though. He didn't know the amount, but he would be golden for money. He could even... build his restaurant?

He licked his lips, taking the proposition and carefully weighing his options in his mind. It was much too tempting. Suddenly the fact that he was stuck with this probationary period seemed less like a curse and more like a beneficial opportunity. It would indeed set him back quite a bit. No doubt that his stay on Claire's property would be doubled or even tripled. Even living with her didn't seem to be that bad.

"It will be hard work, you understand." Claire said. "These animals will be yours and so will the property. So the ranch's prosperity depends on how much effort you put into it."

Skye nodded. Suddenly it was more than just paying off his debt. Still, it seemed quite generous of her. He looked into Claire's eyes, searching as though they'd give some answers. "This seems a little too good on my end. I thought this was meant to punish me."

"It is." Claire scoffed. "What, you think farm work is all fun and games? You've been sore since the day you started working and you've only been pulling weeds and picking up branches and rocks. You think you can easily handle taking care of animals at the same time?"

"Hang on, I haven't even agreed to this yet!" Skye said. "But this is tempting. Still, I have to ask... why would you let me have all this? It seems more like a gift than a punishment."

Claire shrugged. "I don't see why you can't be rewarded for hard work, even if that hard work is done to pay back for wrong doings. If you do a good job on the farm and make it a good place, why can't I buy it off of you and you can go on to do greater things with yourself?"

Skye was silent. After a few moments he stood up, walking over to Claire, who stood as well. He held his hand out to her, which she took.

"You have a deal."

* * *

Sorry about taking so long to get this out. For the longest time I couldn't write anything. Then suddenly I had half the chapter written just like that! So here's the long anticipated chapter 5. Thank you to everyone who has favourited and reviewed so far. You are all greatly appreciated, especially reminding me that I have a story that I need to write!


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